Shows / Express Checkout
Express Checkout
The Express Checkout podcast digs deeper than headlines to uncover the context, connections, and cultural shifts driving the world of consumer products. Join hosts (and CPG nerds) Nate and Jenna for analysis and conversations with the people and businesses shaping tomorrow's shopping cart.
www.expresscheckout.co
Episodes
Express CheckoutThe “dessert-ification” of everything.
Happy almost-Halloween! ‘Tis the season for sweets, and we’re celebrating the best way we know how: by overanalyzing how brands are playing into indulgence…
Express CheckoutThe hits & misses of Whole Foods' 2027 Trend Report
Welcome back to another episode of The Express Checkout Podcast! This week, we're back after a little hiatus (news alert: we got acquired by Morning Brew!)…
Express CheckoutDurable brands, bad capital, and the death of the VC/PE playbook
Welcome back to another episode of The Express Checkout Podcast! This week, we’re sitting down with wildly impressive Tristan Walker, who built and sold Walker…
Express CheckoutHow ice cream actually gets made
Welcome back to another episode of The Express Checkout Podcast!This week, we're sitting down with Aaron Butterworth, Senior Specialist in Product Development…
Express CheckoutHave we reached peak function?
Welcome back to another episode of The Express Checkout Podcast! This week, we’re catching up on a bunch of launches from the past few weeks, from David…
Express CheckoutThe next wave of “functional” drinks
This week on the pod, we’re thrilled to be joined by Adam Terry, CEO and co-founder of Cantrip and On the Brightside—and absolute WEALTH of knowledge on all…
Express CheckoutThe creator marketing playbook for brands
Welcome back to another episode of The Express Checkout Podcast! This week, we’re sitting down with Arthur Leopold, CEO and co-founder of Agentio, the buying…
Express CheckoutThe next wave of coffee is decaf.
Welcome back to another episode of The Express Checkout Podcast! This week, we’re talking about AG1’s entrance in the greens gummy space, the decaf coffee…
Express CheckoutUlta's sexual wellness bet
Welcome back to another episode of The Express Checkout Podcast! This week we’re exploring sexual wellness's leap into mainstream beauty retail with plusOne…
Express CheckoutHow Sauz built a $22M pasta sauce disruptor
Welcome back to another episode of Express Checkout (surprise! new name)!! This week, we sit down with Troy Bonde, Co-Founder of Sauz, the brand that's…
Express CheckoutHow coconut water is making a comeback
Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer! This week we dive into coconut water's surprising resurgence—why a 2010 darling is suddenly back in…
Express CheckoutIs this the next "it" grocer?!
Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer! We're excited to kick off this week's show with an interview with Kristina Garrido, Director of…
Express CheckoutHow this THC brand is fighting the ban
Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer! We're excited to share a fascinating full-episode interview with Jake Bullock, the Co-Founder and CEO…
Express CheckoutReal sugar is unapologetically back
Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer! We're excited to kick off this week's show with an interview with Tara Bosch, the founder of…
Express CheckoutProtein-rich food is a physics problem.
Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer! Today, Jenna is joined by Mike Messersmith, CEO of Lasso Labs—a Harvard-born food tech startup using a…
Express CheckoutThrilled to try Tom Brady's Good Nuts.
Welcome back to The Curious Consumer! This week, we're getting into e.l.f's foray into haircare, Tom Brady's Good Nut (this is not a joke), how AG1 is striving…
Express CheckoutPerformative grocery shopping + pro-peptides.
Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer! Today, we’re joined by Priyanka Ganjoo, the founder of South Asian beauty brand Kulfi Beauty—the first…
Express CheckoutWhy every brand is leaning into nostalgia
Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer! This week’s episode is brought to you by Ever Ledger, the full-service accounting and finance partner…
Express CheckoutSupplement brands are lying to you.
Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer! This week, we have one of our most fascinating interviews yet: Dr. Mastaneh Sharafi, SVP of Science &…
Express CheckoutCalm your mind, one beverage at a time
Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer! This week we sit down with Stacey Hartnett, SVP of Marketing at Chomps to talk about their biggest…
Express CheckoutThe THC loophole (and why it could close...)
Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer! This week we sit down with Mark Rushmore, co-founder of Suri (short for Sustainable Rituals)—the…
Express CheckoutThe best drink you've never heard of
This week, we're sharing the second episode of our interview series, Brand’s Biggest Fan—featuring Evan Burns, CEO and Co-founder of The Finnish Long Drink—and…
Express CheckoutKeeping up with the Kardashians…CPG launches
Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer! This week we sit down with Daniel Solomons, CEO of Update—the caffeine-free energy drink that caught…
Express CheckoutBetting on meal replacements
Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer! This week we dive into Danone’s $1.15B acquisition of Huel—and what it says about the future of meal…
Express CheckoutDrinkable sunscreen, protein mac, and killer brownies
Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer! Today we’re joined by the incredible Chimene Ross, CEO of Killer Brownie, for a discussion on the…
Express CheckoutWhat wholesale data tells us about beauty & wellness
Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer! We're coming at you with a special episode today with our lovely partners over at Faire, the global…
Express CheckoutExpo West 2026 Trends and Insights
We just got back from the “Super Bowl of CPG”, AKA Expo West, and we have thoughts. In this episode, we’re digging into the overall vibe of the show, the…
Express CheckoutBig food is killing health trends
Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer! Today we’re joined by the incredible Jenna Goldring, co-founder of The High Confectionary, to talk…
Express CheckoutOLIPOP's Biggest Fan
Welcome to the first episode of our interview series, Brand’s Biggest Fan—featuring Ben Goodwin, CEO, Co-founder, and formulator of one of our favorite brands…
Express CheckoutThe truth about "functional" products
Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer! Today we are joined by the wonderful Sarela Herrada, co-founder of SIMPLi foods, to talk about…
Express CheckoutWhat Super Bowl ads told us about consumer trends
This week, we're diving into the Super Bowl ads (CPG trend version), what Once Upon a Farm’s IPO tells us, how BigCo brands are getting squeezed by private…
Express CheckoutWhy gummy supplements are everywhere now
Welcome back! Today we have our very first guest, the one and only rachel mansfield. Rachel is a recipe creator, and influencer with over 1M followers on…
Express Checkout"Clean" medicine and non-ultraprocessed soda
Welcome back! This week, we're sharing our favorite products of the week (and yes, Nate's is packed with protein...), some of the unique challenges of building…
Express CheckoutEvery single trend in one can
Welcome back to The Curious Consumer! This week, we've got another roundup of protein launches (shocking!)—but this time from some unlikely sources. Plus…
Express CheckoutProtein for pleasure
Another week of countless protein launches—this time, positioned for women—plus Target’s wellness expansion, the latest THC retailer launch, how Good Culture…
Express CheckoutFrozen food's glow-up era
Welcome to our first episode of The Curious Consumer in 2026!! We're excited to be back and sharing some of the latest stories in consumer brands, from how the…
Express CheckoutA year in consumer brands + retail: 2025 in review
Welcome to our final podcast of 2025! We’re walking through some of the biggest themes and headlines from the year, from redefining “function” (with protein…
Express CheckoutWhy every brand has a lip balm now
This week, we’re chatting about the sneaky strategy behind lip balms, the future of female-focused energy drinks, Rao’s rise to success, why Oreo and Instacart…
Express CheckoutI want my Cheez-Its via drone.
This week, we’re ogling over crazy-fast shipping, wondering how “delicious” and "visceral fat reduction” have managed to enter the same product copy (@ Lemme)…
Express CheckoutThe private-label takeover
We’re coming in hot off of Black Friday/Cyber Monday! In this episode, we’re sharing some results from this sale weekend, thoughts on Quince’s foray into food…
Express CheckoutHow non-alc brands can still win
Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer! This week, we’ve got a great lineup of consumer goods stories—from the beverage brand that’s secretly…
Express CheckoutSkincare for three-year-olds
Welcome back to The Curious Consumer! In our weekly podcast, we break down the latest news in consumer brands and retail. This week features some of the most…
Express CheckoutBetting BIG on... blueberries?
We are SO excited to share that this episode was sponsored by our friends at Glimpse! Glimpse is offering brands 30 days FREE plus a 12-month lookback at their…
Express CheckoutWhy plant-based cheese can't work (right now)
Welcome back to The Curious Consumer! In our (now) weekly episode, we break down the latest news in consumer brands and retail. Today, we get into: * Why your…
Express CheckoutLast Week in Consumer Brands: Fragrance Trends, Protein Innovations, and AI Retail
Hello hello! We’re excited to test out a new format on the pod :) Every Monday, we share the previous week’s biggest news in consumer + retail in our…
Express CheckoutProtein's New Era
Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer! This is our part 2 episode of our dive into protein. If you haven’t watched our first one, you can…
Express CheckoutProtein is not a trend
Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer! Today we’re talking about the hottest topic right now…..PROTEIN. Let’s get one thing straight: protein…
Express CheckoutEnergy drinks are for the girls
Energy drinks are for the girls: a deep dive into the drink that's all of a sudden everywhere! In this episode of 'The Curious Consumer,' hosts Nate and Jenna…
Express CheckoutMan Cereal, caffeinated chips, and the rise of wellness retail
Here we are—our first-ever podcast!!! After yapping via written word for almost 3 years, it’s time to go verbal (visual?) with our new pod, The Curious…